Yunior, a thoughtful but brash, Dominican young man tries to make things right after he's found out to be a cheater. He had gotten in good with her closely knit family (when he was treating her right). After his indiscretion which is shared with Magda by one her girlfriends things change. Magda receives a detailed letter which gives her insight into how badly Yunior has played her. Her family does not appreciate him embarrassing them or their beloved daughter. Her friends dog him out at every turn calling him “typical” with Dominican added on and said in a tone that lets anyone within hearing distance know how much they hate him for hurting their friend.
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Although Yunior and Magda are close in age he is much younger when it comes to handling relationships. It takes a while before she will even talk to him. One of Magda's most attractive traits to Yunior is her big heart and ability to forgive. He figures he has apologized and groveled enough over sleeping with the girl with the big mouth.
He invites Magda to vacation with him in Santo Domingo. He is willing to work overtime to win her back, and figures sharing his childhood roots and historical markers along with his apology, can aid in winning her back.
Nope, Magda is sullen around his family when they visit, and requests a beach front stay or she's leaving. Yunior obliges, even though he hates the tourist trap with all its fanciness that makes natives feel out of place and only allows them to serve greedy, self-absorbed people who disrespect them by virtue of relaxing in beauty while they work overtime to accommodate those who can barely utter “thank you”, or look them in the eye. When Magda makes evening plans to explore on her own she dresses up and is smelling nice. Rejected Yunior befriends a duo, an important business man from Haiti and his body guard. They find a secluded spot underground well and Yunior is lowered down. While in the well he sees artifacts from long ago and spirit speaks letting him know that his time with Magda is indeed over. His awakening to the demise of his relationship gives him the courage to let her go for good.
He still believes he is a good person and that the unwise choice of cheating has a price.
There are nine short stories in this book all dealing with the theme of love, and Yunior's discoveries about himself, love, and life.
Best part of story, including ending:
I liked that Yunior was a sensitive young man who tried to make up for cheating on his girlfriend.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was Yunior going down in the well and coming out with a better understanding of where his life was headeing
Opinion about the main character:
I disliked that he was unable to give Magda time to heal from being hurt by him. He wanted her back and expected it to happen on his time schedule.
